SNL Digs Up the ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Screen Tests You Never Thought You’d See

With Star Wars: The Force Awakens less than a month away from release and anticipation reaching a feverish level unseen in movie fans since 1999, the timing is right for SNL to gently skewer the upcoming sequel. The sketch is really just an excuse for the cast to break out a bunch of impersonations they’ve obviously been keeping in their back pockets while letting them interact with actual Star Wars cast members, but c’mon, that’s all the excuse you need, really.

Much like the previous “lost” Star Wars auditions from a few years ago (remember Kevin Spacey playing Christopher Walken playing Han Solo?), the sketch is very straightforward, introducing one impression, laying it on top of a familiar or new Star Wars character, and then moving onto the next one as fast as possible before any jokes can get old. The subjects this time around include Shaquille O’Neal, Javier Bardem, Maggie Smith, John Mayer, Chris Tucker, Danny DeVito, and, in a moment that will be GIF-ed nonstop for the next few weeks, David Beckham.

However, what makes the sketch truly special is the involvement of some actual Star Wars cast and crew members. While director J.J. Abrams provides an introduction, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley pop up playing themselves. They are joined by a few other actors and actresses auditioning as “themselves,” including Emma Stone (with a solid Aloha jab), and Jon Hamm, stealing the whole thing with a joke that would have been terrible in anyone else’s hands.